Rick Ross Recalls Meek Mill’s Jail Stint: “I Heard His Disappointment, The Rage”

Maybach Music Group leader Rick Ross recently discussed protégé Meek Mill’s stint behind bars last year and how much rage he held within him during the bid.

Ross recalled visiting Meek during his time in jail on a gun possession charge.

He recalls trudging along the fence with Meek, who wore a yellow jumpsuit and was openly despondent. “I heard his disappointment,” Ross says. “The rage he felt that he couldn’t communicate his situation in the courtroom. I remember telling him, ‘You’re not going to make this a personal fight.’” As they walked the yard, the other inmates noticed the two rappers together and began banging on the walls in tribute. “You just started hearing that beating go around the whole building,” Ross says. The guards requested that he leave. (The FADER)

Check out what Meek Mill said about his jail stint on the next page…

Mill also reflected on his time away from the recording studio and revealed his stance toward the justice system.

“My dad got killed in South Philly,” he explains. “Ain’t nobody save him. The cops didn’t save him, and I don’t even think about the cops saving me, so I just took action to protect myself.” Ever since then, he says, he’s been trapped in a structure that makes no effort to appreciate his sacrifices, his worth, or his ambition. “When you’re telling me I’m not sh*t,” he says, “you got to look at it from my point of view. I always wanted to say this to the judge: ‘Think about your son. If your son grew up in the neighborhood, and his father was dead, but he’s able to rise up above it all and start taking care of you, your mother, and your whole family? He’s taking responsibility.’ So when you got a white lady in a courtroom, who don’t know you from a can of paint, saying I’m not shit and I need to be put in jail? That’s offensive to me. I look at that as racism. I take that personally.” (The FADER)

Back in February, Ross talked about Meek being reunited with his family following the stint.

While on the red carpet of the 57th Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8, Ross confirmed to Billboard that Wale’s upcoming album, The Album About Nothing, will be released on March 31 — one of the reasons 2015 will be a “huge year” for MMG. “We are excited to see his level of excitement, see what he’s doing in the studio, most importantly see him back with his family [and] spending time with his son,” he said. (Billboard)

Last month, Meek talked about the time behind bars having an impact on his upcoming sophomore album, Dreams Worth More Than Money.

“I ain’t drop an album since I was 25. I rap way better. I’ve experienced way more. I just came from jail. I made sure I read a whole lot, smartened up and learned more. You know, I’m just next level Meek Mill. I know everybody come here like, “I’m on my next level…”” (XXL Mag)